This invention relates in general to the application of metallic tape as armor to a cable in the field and more particularly to such a tool in which the armor may be of any desired contour, interlocking or overlapping, and wrapped upon cable of any shape.
It is customary to provide metallic armor upon cables to protect the conductive elements from abrasion. Such armor in the form of metallic tape is easily and conveniently applied at the point of manufacture, usually with power-driven machinery. However, in the field when the cable is put into use, occasionally failure of the conductors of the cable or even its armor occurs.
Such failures are most frequent in those areas of operation where rough handling and usage are encountered. As a specific example, at an oil well site either the armor itself may be broken away or failures of the conductive elements occur because of the abuse to which the cable is inevitably exposed. In either case, if suitable repairs are to be made, metallic armor must be applied to restore protection of the integrity of the cable.
Also, of course, it is frequently necessary in the field to splice sections of cable together, and after such splices are made armor must be applied over the spliced area. Quite commonly, it is attempted manually to unwind the armor tape and then to wind new armor over the point of the break or splice. The operation is difficult almost to the point of impossibility because of the severe metal deformation resulting from such unwinding and winding. Moreover, if the newly applied metallic tape is not seated properly upon the cable, excessive bulging results and the cable cannot be reinstalled in the restricted downhole passages usually available in oil well applications.